Haja no Fuuin - Miracle Warriors (Mark III)

[Pezcore343]

I recently picked this game up for the SG-1000 Mark III from the DP store. I was in the nice large cardboard box and labeled as "Gold Cartridge", which was pretty much the only English other than "Sega" on the whole box so it took me a while to identify. Eventually I figured out it was the Japanese version of Miracle Warriors. It came with the plastic insert and the cloth map (which is very nice by the way, much better than the ones you see today), but it was missing the mini figurine which apparently was packaged with it. I've been searching the interwebs but I can't find much information on the Japanese release or on the figurine which my copy is missing. Can anyone help me out with some more information? Was the "Gold Cartridge" the only version or was it rerelease or special edition? What was the figurine of and is it near impossible to buy one in 2010?

To me it seems like a cool little collector's piece because I never see Mark III stuff over here, especially RPGs, and I love Sega history, but is there anything particularly special about Haja no Fuuin for Mark III or is it more of a run of the mill import?

[ApolloBoy]

The "Gold Cartridge" name was used on all first-party titles for the Mark III (it was never referred to as the "SG-1000 Mark III" despite what everyone says), so your copy of Haja no Fuuin is a normal release. I don't know much about the figurine though, but I'm guessing it was one of the main characters.

[Pezcore343]

Ah thanks Apollo, that makes a lot more sense. I was especially confused because the actual cartridge isn't gold, just the label. So I guess Gold Cartridge would be applied to most Mark III games? Or did Sega have a lot more third party support in Japan than it did over here?

[ApolloBoy]

Ah thanks Apollo, that makes a lot more sense. I was especially confused because the actual cartridge isn't gold, just the label. So I guess Gold Cartridge would be applied to most Mark III games? Or did Sega have a lot more third party support in Japan than it did over here?
Yeah, Sega used "Gold Cartridge" for their releases on the Mark III while "Silver Cartridge" was used for third-party releases (of which there were only two, Rygar and Solomon's Key).

[Pezcore343]

Wow only two. I never realized how limited it was.

[ApolloBoy]

Wow only two. I never realized how limited it was.
The Mark III came out when the Famicom was still hugely popular, so it never really reached a huge audience. It didn't stick around as long as the SMS either, since Sega discontinued it in early 1989 to focus on the Mega Drive.